The Best Dog Food for Pitbulls

Pitbulls get a bad wrap in the media. Anyone that’s ever owned one knows they are one of the sweetest dog breeds in the world. Taking good care of your pitbull and ensuring can help you avoid issues of aggression just as easily as with any other breed. Ensuring you feed them the best dog food for pitbulls is a large part of this equation. Nutrition plays almost as large a role in a dogs’ life as nurture—though skimping on either front can give rise to one mean puppy. The best food for pitbulls are often those which help support digestive health and stave off nausea.

Good Nutrition For All

When trying to better understand what the best dog food for pitbulls might be it’s important to recognize a few facts. The first is that pitbulls are dogs just like any other breed at most levels. Obviously there are breed-specific differences but those only slightly impact nutritional consideration. Your first and most focal goal should be to better understand what the best dog food is for any breed, then adjust your choice according to breed. In practice this will look like finding a few brands that you trust, and shifting between different nutritional mixes. Consider how old your pitbull is, as that will have a HUGE impact on the type of food you should choose. For example, the best dog food for pitbull puppies IS NOT the same best choices for a fully grown adult. This isn’t just a pitbull thing though, and is relevant to any dog breed. The Association of American Feed Conttrol Officials (AAFCO) help outline best practices to dog food manufactures. Look for their label on any dog food packages to help ensure you get the products offering the highest quality ingredients.

the quality of food given to animals has a huge impact on their cognition and behavioral tendencies

Research suggests that a well-balanced meal for a dog isn’t really that different than a well-balanced meal for a human. Tryptophan has been correlated with aggression, tyrosine with stress resistance, and fatty acids like DHA help assure proper cognitive function.[1] Additional research has found that the additional of tryptophan to high-protein diets has been able to calm aggressive behavior, as has shifting to lower-protein diets.[2] When it comes to understanding pet nutrition, a lot of what we know has been found through clinical trials conducted on animals in efforts to better understand human nutrition. One such study found that the quality of food given to animals has a huge impact on their cognition and behavioral tendencies. [3] This suggests that buying low-quality food, or food that otherwise has contaminants in it, can cause a huge disruption in your animals behavior. By this same logic, it can be said that a change to a higher-quality food source could likely help reduce unwanted behaviors.

Pitbull Specific Nutrition

Pitbulls are considered to be a medium-breed dog, below large-breed and giant-breeds. Each class of these dogs are known to have size-specific digestive issues, and each breed are also known to exhibit different issues as well. Among Pit Bulls, Boxers, Labs, Doberman Pinschers, Dalmatians, and similarly-size mixed-breed dogs; Pit Bulls suffer from the largest incidence rates of Vomiting, Diarrhea, Anorexia, and constipation.[4] Second to German Shepherds, Pit Bulls have been known to exhibit the most digestive duress by Veterinary observations. This means that you need to carefully consider your pit bulls nutrition—especially if they are exhibiting unwanted behaviors.

Research suggests that the two most-frequent nutritional problems found among pit bulls are vomiting and anorexia. Likely (thought not confirmed) both of these are connected to a stomach issue. Vomiting being a sign of a stomach that can’t keep food down, and anorexia being a sign of a stomach that signals for the dog to not even eat. With this in mind, the best food for pit bulls—generally speaking—will be one that promotes long term stomach health. Research in this area is sparse, so understanding canine health we sometimes have to draw from what we know about human health.

Supporting Healthy Digestion

Science knows that human digestive tracts are home to many different types of bacteria. Some of these are good bacteria and some are bad. The bad bacteria are responsible for many number of health issues like stomach ulcers, diarrhea, nausea, and weight gain or loss. The good bacteria is known to help with digestion and nutrition, and are generally regarded as a beneficial ingredient of any diet. These different species of good bacteria are often found in probiotics, but are also found naturally on many foods. Vegetables, fruits, grains, and dietary fiber all help promote the growth of bacteria in the digestive tracts of humans and animals alike. What’s even crazier is that the same types of species can be found in dogs and humans! Science has shown that even subtle changes in diet can have drastic impact on the balance of good and bad bacteria.[5]

Pit bulls having higher rates of stomach and digestive issues, and science knows these types of issues are directly connected to beneficial gut bacteria. With this in mind, it’s likely that the best food for pit bulls would be one that promotes the growth of healthy bacteria. Dog foods with probiotics are becoming more popular than every before, and brands like Taste of The Wild are now including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics in many of their foods. These alone will make a good difference, but you need to consider supporting the growth of such good bacteria as well. This type of goal can be met by having a wide-variety of healthy vegetables and fibers in your plants food, as well as high-quality protein sources. One particular consideration to make with pitbull food is to avoid certain types of beans that contain a compound named Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). These compounds are known to cause stomach issues in humans and might increase the already high rates of pit bull stomach issues. Typically, PHA is found in high amounts among beans like red, white, or kidney beans, green beans, and fava beans.[6]

Best Dog Food for Pitbulls

With all the above-mentioned dietary concerns, we’ve composed a list of the best dog food for pitbulls. These brands and dog food flavors represent the highest quality dog food available today. These aren’t cheap dog foods—but they offer well-rounded nutritional profiles and specific ingredients to support and maintain the digestive health of pit bulls. As a general rule, these types of dog food contain probiotics, are grain-free, and don’t contain any ingredients high in PHA.

1. Pacific Stream Canine Formula by Taste of The Wild

One of the best dog food brands in our opinion is Taste of the Wild. We could have very easily made the entire list of their products! They have a wide selection of flavors to help cater to all nutritional and taste preferences of dogs. One of their most-popular attributes is that they don’t use grain in their products. Many other dog food brands use processed wheat as a volume agent, resulting in harder-to-digest food with less nutrition. The Pacific Stream Canine Formula by Taste of the Wild offers 25% protein by weight, 15% fat, and 3% fiber. Among it’s ingredients are Salmon, egg, ocean fish, inulin, choline, and both lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics.

Pacific Stream by Taste of the Wild

Loaded with vital proteins and fatty acids crucial to early cognitive development.

2. BLUE Wilderness Grain-Free Chicken Formula

BLUE is a dogfood brand that needs little introduction. They are found in nearly every pet store in the United States and offer a very premium food for those concerned with their pets nutrition. Among their many different types of dog food, BLUE has a line of products named Wilderness. Among them is our favorite dog food for pitbulls; the Grain Free Chicken Formula. This product is 34% protein by weight, 15% fat, and 6% fiber. This is less ideal of a diet if your dog is showing signs of aggression since it has a slightly higher percentage of protein. BLUE’s chicken formula contains chicken, chicken meal (good for joint support), fish, egg, and flaxseed. Additionally, this dog food also includes Lactobacillus acidophilus, Aspergillus Niger, Bacillus Subtilis, and Trichoderma Longibrachitum probiotics.

3. Diamond Naturals Formulas

Diamond has been a huge name in the dog food industry for years. Their products are seen on the shelves of nearly every pet store as well. Until recently however, they were little more than your typical dog food manufacturer. After realizing how many people are waking up the importance of healthy dog foods, they launched the Diamond Naturals line. Our favorite product in this line is the Diamond Naturals Beef Meal & Rice formula. This dry dog food is great for pit bulls and contains 25% protein, 15% fat, and 4% fiber. Among its all-natural ingredients are beef meal, ground white rice, chicken fat, fish meal as well as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics. This is definiely one of the best dog foods for pit bulls on the market today.

Natural Formulas from Diamond

Contains a high percentage of fat for the development of neuro-motor skills and joint health.

4. Nutro Wholesome Essentials Pasture-Fed Lamb

Nutro has been around for years, though recently they’ve been making some serious brand image changes. One of these changes was launching their Wholesome Essentials line of dog food. This type of dog food stands out from the pack for its inclusion of Non-GMO ingredients and pasture-raised lamb proteins. This is leagues above the quality of most other dog food brands, though buying online can keep the price very reasonable. Our favorite among this line is the Nutro Whole Essentials Lamb & Rice formula. Among this formulas ingredients are Lamb, lamb meal, whole brown rice, whole grain oatmeal, and chicken fat. While this dog food isn’t technically grain-free—it doesn’t contain wheat. There are no probiotics added to this formula either, but the Non-GMO and pasture-raised lamb still make it one of the best dry dog foods for your pit bulls. This dog food is 21% protein, 13% fat, and 3.5% fiber.

5. Castor & Pollux Organix Lamb & Peas Formula

If you’re looking for the absolute best pit bull dog food, look no further. The Castor & Pollux Organix Lamb & Peas formula includes all natural ingredients, is produced and sourced domestically, and is certified Organic by Oregon Tilt. This dry dog food contains 21% protein and has ingredients such as lamb, chicken meal, coconut oil, organic flaxseed, and organic chicken liver. Additionally, this formula includes the probiotic culture Bacillus Coagulans. It’s also noteworthy that Castor & Pollux formulate their products in small batches made within Organic-Certified kitchens. This means that you may see slight variations in overall product consistency from bag to bag—though that’s just the hand-made touch shining through. Overall this is probably the best dog food for pit bulls on the market today.

Best Food for Pit Bull Puppies

In addition to the great products mentioned above, there are special considerations to be made for your pitbull puppies. Puppy formulas contain different amounts of ingredients and are targeted specifically towards helping your young pup grow. In our opinion, the best dog food for pitbull puppies is the Taste of the Wild High Praire Puppy Formula. This dog food is grain free, contains actual meat, and is loaded with nutritional vegetables, fatty acids, and rich mineral profiles needed to ensure healthy growth. This dog food also includes Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus probiotic ingredients as well for further digestive support and development. This is hands-down our favorite pick for best puupy food for pitbulls (and any other breed for that matter.)

Final Considerations

Pit bulls are some of the most-loving and sweetest dogs on the planet. The media gives them a bad wrap, and they are often regarded as overly aggressive. The truth is; dogs are a product of the environment they are raised in. If you treat your dogs well, and work hard to ensure they stay healthy—you’ll likely have nothing but sweet-hearted joy to look forward to. one of the biggest aspects of ensuring your pit bull grows up to be a healthy sweetheart is the type of food you feed them. Cheap dog food often contains dangerous ingredients and doesn’t provide your dog the nutrition they need. Science has shown that these types of contaminated ingredients can alter the way a dog behaves. The products listed here are the best food for pitbulls to help ensure long-term health and behavioral balance. They are largely grain free, some are non-gmo, the avoid PHAs, and most all include some form of probiotic to help support healthy digestion.

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Best Pitbull Food

The best dog food for pitbulls takes into account breed specific health concerns such as vomiting and anorexia. This can be addressed by the avoidance of wheat, the inclusion of high-quality ingredients, and also by using probiotics.

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